The Big Lead

Mavericks won't quell fan dissent by ejecting fans for Nico Harrison criticism over Luka Doncic trade

By Sam Westmoreland

Feb 8, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks fans gather outside the arena before the game between the Dallas and the Houston Rockets to protest the Nico Harrison trade of former Mavericks point guard Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Feb 8, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks fans gather outside the arena before the game between the Dallas and the Houston Rockets to protest the Nico Harrison trade of former Mavericks point guard Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
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Dallas Mavericks fans' displeasure with the team over trading Luka Doncic flared up again on Monday night, as multiple fans were ejected from the American Airlines Center during the team's loss to the Sacramento Kings, according to ESPN's Tim McMahon.

It was an ugly night for the Mavs off the court, according to McMahon. The fans booed each of the ejections loudly, and also booed majority owner Patrick Dumont when he returned to his courtside seats in the third quarter.

Two of the ejected fans held poster board that read Fire Nico, and one of those fans mouthed the phrase when he was caught on the Jumbotron earlier. Another fan was ejected for wearing a shirt with the picture of a woman in clown makeup, although the report says it wasn't clear who the woman was, it seems likely it was Miriam Adelson, who bought the team along with Dumont last year from Mark Cuban.

Finally, another pair of fans were tossed for harassing Cuban in his courtside seats, and were removed from the arena.

While Dallas was well within their rights to yank the fans (and the pair heckling Cuban make little to no sense, since he had no hand in this decision at all), cracking down on signs and shirts isn't going to make this problem go away.

Fans are livid, and understandably so. Harrison's decision made them a weaker team overall, in the short, medium and long-terms, and got very little back in terms of long-term value. It would've been a bad trade for any player approaching Doncic's level, but for a 25-year-old who just dragged you to the NBA Finals a year prior, it's practically organizational malpractice.

Making matters worse, this isn't the first time Harrison has replaced one homegrown star with a different, possibly worse-fitting piece.

Remember, it was Harrison who decided that Jalen Brunson wasn't worth trying to keep around, either. While Cuban blamed Brunson's father at the time for not getting the chance to negotiate with the point guard before he signed with the Knicks, and hadn't felt like the guard was worth a 4-year, $56 million contract offer, either. Instead, they traded for Kyrie Irving, who cost them a significant number of assets, and wound up getting a sizable contract from Dallas as well.

Harrison has yet to make a move that fans have been excited about in his tenure as GM. The team has gotten markedly, demonstrably worse as a direct result of his actions.

And things aren't going to get any better. Doncic looked thrilled to be in Los Angeles in his debut last night, an easy win for the Lakers, while Anthony Davis is going to be out for multiple weeks with an adductor injury, confirming worries about his durability.

It's entirely possible that losses are going to start piling up in Dallas, and when they do, you can expect the chorus of discontent to grow into a roar.

After all, trading away a young, talented, beloved superstar has consequences, and now Dumont, Harrison and the Mavs are going to have to deal with them this season and beyond.

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